Articles

Ex-rebel generals transferred?

The NewDawn was reliably hinted on Saturday, 23 May that government was transferring three arrested former Liberian rebel generals from Fish Town, River Gee County to Monrovia to face prosecution here for alleged mercenary activity.

Last week River Gee County Superintendent, Phillip Jah, pleaded with the heads of the National Security Agency or NSA and the Justice Ministry to transfer suspects Powell Solo, c.k.a General Power; former MODEL Inspector; former Model General Dennis Slayah, c.k.a Charles Ble Goude; and former MODEL field Commander Augustine Vleyee, c.k.aBush Dog, from Fish Town custody to Monrovia over fears that the prison cell could be burglarized, which might lead to their escape.

But relevant authorities at the Justice Ministry’s Public Affairs office in Monrovia failed to comment whether or not, the alleged former rebel generals have been transferred to Monrovia despite phone calls and text messages sent to get confirmation on Sunday, 24 May.

The Superintendent of River Gee County’s Weabo District where the suspects were arrested in the border town of Swroken, Mr. Harry Quiah said on Sunday that he had not been informed about the reported transfer, but told The NewDawn that he was in Monrovia at the time of the call yesterday.

Our source in the county confided that the suspects were being brought to Monrovia early Saturday morning where they are expected to face prosecution on charges of “mercenarism and impersonating as officers.”

They were arrested in a Liberian town of Swroken close to Ivory Coast after residents alerted the district superintendent over their alleged suspicious movement under the guise of mobilizing former fighters to “discourage” them from going to Ivory Coast to fight.

But authorities sensed it they may have been mobilizing the ex-fighters to disrupt the neighboring country’s upcoming elections expected sometimes this year.

County Superintendent Jah said the men were arrested having failed to show document to authenticate claims that they were running a ‘covert operation” for the NSA – Liberia’s top security intelligence agency.At least two other alleged suspects in the case are said to still be at large, in person of former National Patriotic Front of Liberia or NPFL General Paye N. Suah, who was allegedly linked to the Glarro Town massacre in River Gee during the MODEL war; and James N. Kpakai, the suspect alleged to be leading those mobilizing the former fighters. Edited by Jonathan Browne